How to Work From Home and Not Lose Your Mind

Initially, working from home always sounds like a good idea. You imagine yourself sitting in your pajamas, cozied up with a blanket and laptop; Netflix is bumping and Seamless is on the way. But the reality is that working from home isn’t easy, especially if, say, a sad little snowstorm is preventing you from leaving your tiny NYC apartment. So here are some pro tips on how to work at home without losing your cool.

The morning message

Despite being expected to be up and working by 9 a.m., everyone sleeps in when working from home, but there’s a trick to doing it respectfully. By about 8:45, get up and send a couple e-mails or Slack messages with your superiors copied. That way, it looks like you’re up and about, and afterward, you crawl back under the covers for another 45 minutes without arousing suspicion. And if you really want to be convincing, hop on your laptop to make opening contact. Everyone knows the mobile e-mail is a cop out.

Find a good spot for concentration

When working from home, there are many distractions that can keep you from getting your work done. The television, the dirty dishes in the sink, the tempting food in the fridge, but in order to take full advantage of a work day, it’s crucial to find a space where it is distraction free. The problem is, in cities like New York, you probably don’t have a lot of options in your 800 square foot two bedroom apartment. If weather permits, it’s usually best to hit up a coffee shop by midday before you start losing your shit. That is, if you can manage to find a seat among the freelancers. It can get quite competitive if this not something you normally do.

Make yourself a dank lunch

After staring at a computer screen all morning, you deserve to get up for a half hour and make yourself a bomb meal. Cooking allows you to take a break while still being productive, and it saves you money, compared to your sad desk lunch that’s clogging your arteries.

Put your music on blast

You are home alone, no co-workers around to judge you, so throw on your favorite Spotify playlist and get lit. Even the The New York Timessays music increases one’s productivity and helps keep you in focus! Can’t argue with that one.

Make yourself feel human

Once you’re getting closer to the end of the day, you may start to feel a little gross, especially if you chose to stay in rather than work from a coffee shop. Considering you probably didn’t change or brush your teeth, wrap up the day with a hot shower and fresh hygiene (shave, nails, etc.) for your glorious return to the office tomorrow.

Cut out early and indulge

Congratulations. It’s almost 4:00 p.m. (the beauty of working from home is you can get away with starting late and end early) and you’ve finished your work for the day. Now it’s time to get out the ice cream, wine, order a pizza and chill. In fact, you can even shamelessly Netflix and Chill by yourself these days.